By Michael Dowgert, on August 11th, 2010%
A number of studies have shown that modern farming techniques as expressed through intensive agricultural practices are good for the environment. Most recently scientists from Stanford have calculated that high yield agriculture employed since the latter half of the 20th century has prevented the equivalent of 590 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted. . . . → Read More: Modern Farming is Good for Environment
By Michael Dowgert, on August 10th, 2010%
Foraging for food is all the rage. Even restaurants are getting into the act setting up foraging trips or backyard garden exchanges. I come from a long line of foragers. I have vivid memories of picking blueberries along the recently cleared approach to the new runway at Worcester airport. Blueberries are some of the first shrubs . . . → Read More: Foraging and Farming
By Michael Dowgert, on August 9th, 2010%
We moved from Worcester, MA to a more rural Florence, MA when I was 7. My father accepted a position as teacher and the principle of a vocational high school that had a well respected agriculture program. As a child I remember playing among the chicken coops and in the dairy barn as well as frolicking . . . → Read More: Kids on the Farm
By Michael Dowgert, on July 7th, 2010%
In a past life I owned a small gourmet food store featuring produce, cheeses, meat, wine, take out meals and catering. Prior to owning this store I worked as the Production Manager for a farm that produced specialty produce. I also worked as a technical advisor to greenhouse vegetable growers and sold irrigation and fertigation equipment. . . . → Read More: Full Circle
By Michael Dowgert, on July 1st, 2010%
Hay is not simply mown grass. There is a real science to hay especially if you are using it as feed for milk or beef production. Protein content, fiber content, energy value among others are factors that are measured and proportioned so the animals get exactly the nutrition they require for health and productivity. These quality . . . → Read More: HAY!
By Michael Dowgert, on June 14th, 2010%
Netafim has just been recognized by a stamp, which was issued by Israeli postal service for the Shanghai International Expo 2010. This stamp is part of a set of stamps commemorating Israeli innovations that have changed the world. Netafim won in the Agricultural category, and was commended for its worldwide success in the realm of efficient . . . → Read More: Around Awhile
By Michael Dowgert, on June 14th, 2010%
Publications with a certain point of view like to sum up their position with certain words or phrases. They are meant to elicit a visceral emotional response far beyond the literal meaning of the word, much like a dirty word. “Industrial Agriculture†is one of those words, meant to conjure up images of sweatshop assembly lines; . . . → Read More: Dirty Words
By Michael Dowgert, on June 11th, 2010%
Netafim has been the leader in sustainability before it was cool. Using drip irrigation to conserve precious water resources was a necessity in the desserts of Israel where Netafim was born. This wasn’t called sustainability is was survival. The first farmers to grow crops using drip irrigation quickly learned that drip irrigation does not save water . . . → Read More: Stay in Control
By Michael Dowgert, on June 10th, 2010%
Plants are adaptive. They recover from stress in ways that make it difficult to determine the type and extent of the stress that impinged on them. Still stress has very real effects on the yield and quality of crops. Take processing tomatoes for instance. For many years this crop was flood irrigated and 30 to 35 . . . → Read More: Plant Psychology
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